Skepta on Mains, China, and bringing designer back to the rave

For Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr., now known to the world as Skepta, the 1990s was the golden era for dancing to Garage music in designer clothes. Saturday nights saw the Old Street-born Tottenham-raised Londoner having scraped money together for Moschino, putting together an immaculate look that he’d been planning all week. Forget fashion parties, opulent street style was at the rave. Mains is here to bring back that nostalgic, moreish confidence of putting on an outfit that you want to be seen out in all night. Revived at London Fashion Week in September 2023 with designer Mikey Pearce, the Skepta-founded brand first debuted back in 2017, and thanks Puma, in part, for its return due to the British-Nigerian music artist signing a partnership with the sportswear powerhouse back in 2022. The growing portfolio of Mains collaborations each wink to British streetwear nostalgia — think New Era, Beats, Puma, Timberland, and for Season Two, Kickers. In terms of the clothes, there is an elevated design sophistication, with the focus on textures and unique detailing. Stepping away from the mainstream of quiet luxury, at Mains more is more: Season Two’s signature being wig-like faux fur hats. Unlike some celebrity-founded brands, Mains is not fan merchandise. It does, however, encapsulate that vibrant community essence of London culture in the same way that the Mercury Prize winner has throughout his esteemed music career. During the week leading up to Mains’ Season Two show on September 14, Jing Daily sat down to talk to Skepta about his new title as a fashion designer. Jing Daily: Does fashion bring you the same joy that music does? Skepta: Yes. But with fashion, because I'm just starting, I know that it's going to start feeling much better. There's a lot of fear when you're starting. I think I was trying to find my language, like, what am I bringing to the table? Slowly, I'm finding that, whereas in my music, I've definitely found who I am, my mind, and my message. But, you know, we're the second show in and we're having a lot more fun than we did the first time around. Because the language and my message is becoming more clear in my mind. JD: What is your process of selecting which brands to collaborate with? S: Just like my music, I tried to make them very organic. They have to make sense. This time around, we’re doing Kickers – they're a French brand, you know. But there's a great UK story about them. I try to make sure that there is some sort of real emotion in the collaboration, rather than it just being for monetary value. JD: What would be your dream Mains collaboration? S: Moschino. Franco Moschino had a tight hold on everybody in the 1990s that was raving to Garage. You know, there were times when I couldn't get in the club, the security man’s telling me that, “you need to be wearing shoes.” Patrick Cox loafers, you know, Moschino, these kinds of things. Even Ben Sherman shirts, back in the day, were something you wanted to have. But yeah Moschino would be the dream collaboration because I know it so well. JD: Which pieces are you most excited about in this upcoming collection? S: We remixed an old print from back in the day. A lot of people recognized that, but, yeah, we did these shorts. Then there are these leather shorts. We’ve got some nice suiting. The white faux leather trench is one of my favorite pieces. For the faux fur hats, my designer Mikey sent me a photo of himself wearing a faux fur hood and it looked like Joe Exotic in Tiger King. We were laughing in the group chat and I was saying, yo we should make hats like this. Everyone went crazy. JD: Between you and Mikey, is it a collaboration entirely between both of you? S: Mikey studied fashion, so he's knowledgeable, but I design from a magical, childlike mind. So, I might suggest something to him, and then he'll know technically that it won't work, but he will still design it and make it for me. Then I’ll see it and say, “Oh, look, this doesn't work,” and he will be like, “yeah, I just wanted you to see it.” Rather than just telling me that my ideas don't work. It's great. I never, ever want to lose that. Yeah. I don't care how big Mains gets. I’ll always need him. JD: What are your memories of traveling to Asia and did that inspire you? S: For sure. I’ve been to Asia a few times, China, Japan ... What really inspires me is the language and the writing. I was reading somewhere that the Chinese symbol for danger is two words, one meaning danger and the other meaning opportunity. The way they write words is more metaphorical than the literal word. They have this really good poetic way of describing situations and I’m definitely inspired by that. That’s really cool, the metaphor in the language. You know because I’m Nigerian, well we have that in Yoruba and Igbo, there are lots of metaphors when you translate it into English. JD: Do you have any stories of being in China? S: I have a memory of being in China and going to the market. I could have walked around for hours. I can’t wait to get back to China and just spend a whole day in one of the markets. JD: China loves the Puma x Skepta sneakers. What makes a good sneaker? S: Initially, when I design shoes, I just try and remember myself being in the shop with my mum and not being able to afford certain shoes. So, when I design shoes, I always try and design that shoe that a young kid is just like aspiring to make money to buy. Because, before you can afford jewels and chains and watches and stuff like that, your shoes always come first. You know, it's the first form of stunting. JD: You seem to be happy to move from music to art, to fashion. What is your advice for creatives who are not so comfortable with change? S: For me, I’m lucky enough to just be around different people. I’m blessed with the network that I am in. I don’t just wake up and think I want to do something new. What happens is, I meet different people, and then we realize together that we want to do something new. Like, I wouldn’t have made a fashion brand unless I knew Mikey. My advice to creatives is just … it’s very easy to be in solitude and be by yourself to think of ideas. But my advice is to just talk to people, because someone somewhere could use your help, and you could use theirs too. JD: Do you never feel uncomfortable moving into new areas of work S: No, because I would never go into something without knowing it. I knew house music before I was even MCing, so I’m doing it because I know it. [Returning to his roots as a DJ and producer, Skepta pivoted to house music last year, joining his fellow Boy Better Know collective member Jammer to become DJ duo Más Tiempo.] It’s the same thing with fashion. I’m referencing old Moschino and Kickers. My name was Moschino Joe in school – that was my first tag name before Skepta. So, when I feel like I have done my 10,000 hours in something, I feel confident to move into that space. Because then if someone tried to be funny about it, I could back my talk. I would say, study what you move into next, and make sure that you know that you really love it. Then, if someone is well-versed in that space and wants to test you, you’re ready and you’re confident. JD: How do you maintain creative authenticity when being exposed to so much content on social media? S: Yeah, I think I like, just like any other person, I love being online. Scrolling reminds me of [British TV show] You’ve Been Framed from when I was younger, like we used to just watch lots of funny videos back to back. When I'm creating something or designing, I won't be on Instagram. My supporters, my fans, will know that when SK goes quiet, when he stops posting, then it's probably because an album is coming, or he's busy working on something. JD: What is Mains bringing to fashion? S: Honestly, I just want to bring the club back to fashion. I want to bring fashion back to the club. I’m from the 1990s era where we used to start getting ready on Tuesday for the weekend. You’re working to get money to buy that top and those jeans, because you’re going out on Saturday. You get there, you put your shoes on, people are all dressed up in the queue. I do take some of the blame for helping make streetwear accepted. I think clubs had to just give in to the fact that people are going to be wearing expensive streetwear. You can't tell somebody in Louis Vuitton trainers that are 600 (British) pounds that they can't come in because it's not a shoe. So, I think, like, this sounds hypocritical of me, but I want to bring the fashion and the rave back together. Yeah, so it might be the reason why everybody's going so “quiet luxury” all of a sudden, because there isn't anywhere to rave. You're buying expensive clothes more to go to Monaco or Cannes. We're not raving in our designer gear anymore. I want to bring that back. Yeah, that's what Skepta is going to bring back to fashion. People put on Mains and say “Got a party tonight? Where are we going?” And I'm like, Yeah. I see them smiling. Like, yeah, that's exactly how I want people to feel when they wear my clothes. Jing Daily presents Jing Masterminds — a regular, exclusive interview series profiling today’s most iconic names in art, fashion, commerce and culture. Delving deep into their personal journeys, creative processes, business strategies and societal impacts, the series offers readers an intimate look at the lives and minds shaping our industries.

Club prestige: Skepta’s Mains hits London Fashion Week

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Club prestige: Skepta’s Mains hits London Fashion Week